Dom Flemons

The American Songster

Dr. Dom Flemons received an Honorary Doctorate from Northern Arizona University, and he’s a Grammy Award Winner with four Grammy nominations, a two-time Emmy Nominee, an International Acoustic Music Award Grand Prize Winner, and was a United States Artists Fellow. He is a musician based in the Chicago area, famously known as “The American Songster,” since his repertoire covers over 100 years of American roots music, including country, folk, bluegrass, Americana, and the blues.

Flemons is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, historian, actor, narrator, host, slam poet, record collector, podcaster, and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville. He is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones. He is the co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the founder of American Songster Productions. His albums include Ever Popular Favourites (2015, with Martin Simpson), Black Cowboys (2018), Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus (2020), and Traveling Wildfire (2023).

Fun fact: Dom Flemons competed and WON a Merengue Dance Competition in the Dominican Republic during an Artist Excursion on the Cayamo Cruise.

“Dom Flemons is one of the most accomplished American Folk Artists… few have pumped as much lifeblood into tradition as he has.” --MOJO Magazine

“Dom Flemons is on a mission to uncover, preserve, and push forward America’s musical past—particularly Black musical traditions.” --WBEZ Chicago

“Dom Flemons’ ability to absorb and synthesize large swaths of musical history is the stuff of legend among other musicians.” --Rhett Miller (Old 97’s Band)

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts.

This project is made possible with funds  from the Tier Three Project Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of the County Executive and administered by CNY Arts.

  ~ This project is also made possible through the support and generosity of our Folkus members. ~